Author: Newwaverley

New Waverley has won one of the UK property industry’s most prestigious national accolades. The £200 million regeneration scheme currently transforming the city’s Old Town was scooped this prestigious award for the UK’s best regeneration project at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) 2017 annual UK awards in London on Thursday November the 2nd.

New Waverley, being delivered by Artisan Real Estate Investors, has already won the regional RICS award for best regeneration project in Scotland earlier this year. This national award win recognises New Waverley’s current status as one of Europe’s most important city centre regeneration projects, taking place in the historic and highly sensitive World Heritage Site of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

The award was welcomed by Clive Wilding, New Waverley’s Project Director, who said: “We are all thrilled that New Waverley has won this major national accolade, fighting off stiff competition from major projects across the rest of the UK. We are especially pleased to be recognised by a widely-respected UK organisation that rewards excellence in design and architecture. For the last two years, we have worked hard to make New Waverley an integral part of Edinburgh’s Old Town, breathing new life back into a formerly neglected part of the city centre. This award shows that our efforts are now paying off and I am delighted that New Waverley’s considerable impact is being recognised on a national stage by our peers and public alike.”

So far, the first New Waverley development phases completed are two Whitbread hotels – the Hub by Premier Inn, a Premier Inn hotel which opened in January 2016, and The Arches, a row of 19 Victorian arches which have been transformed to create a new exciting leisure and retail district for the city.

In December 2016, the new 146-apartment Aparthotels Adagio on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile opened for business, overlooking a new football pitch-sized public square called Sibbald Walk. Becoming the first significant public space to open in the city centre for more than 50 years. In July 2017, it was announced that some 2,900 UK civil servants will be located at New Waverley’s next phase office development as part of a new UK Government hub.

This is the fourth major award that New Waverley has won in 2017, having received top honours at this year’s Scottish Property Awards, Herald Awards and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards (Scotland).

The New Waverley development has won one of Scottish property industry’s most prestigious accolades. Currently transforming the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, New Waverley scooped the top award for the Commercial Project of the Year at the 2017 Herald Property Awards for Scotland, held in Glasgow on Thursday the 21st of September.

The award recognised New Waverley’s successful development of the Adagio Aparthotel overlooking the Royal Mile and The Arches, a row of Victorian arches which has been transformed into a vibrant retail and leisure quarter for the city.

New Waverley is delivered by Artisan Real Estate Investors and the award win further recognises its current status as one of the UK’s most important city center regeneration projects, taking place in the historic and highly sensitive World Heritage Site of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Welcoming the award, Jaco Jansen from Artisan Real Estate Investors said: “We are all thrilled that New Waverley has won another major accolade.

“For the last two years, we have worked hard to make New Waverley an integral part of Edinburgh’s Old Town, breathing new life back into a formerly neglected part of the city centre. This award – highlighting our successful completion of both the Adagio Aparthotel and The Arches – shows that our efforts are now paying off and I am delighted that New Waverley’s considerable impact is being recognised on a national stage by our peers and public alike.”

In the last 12 months, New Waverley has become an established district within the city’s historic Old Town and has delivered a high profile ‘place-making’ campaign designed to create interest and excitement about the area. This has included launching the UK’s largest poem on the side of the new Adagio aparthotel building on the Royal Mile, as well as the area hosting food markets, light shows and art installations.

In July, it was announced that some 2,900 civil servants will be located at New Waverley’s next phase office development as part of a new UK Government hub.

This is the third major award that New Waverley has won in 2017, having scooped top honours at both this year’s Scottish Property Awards and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards.

The month of August saw the annual transformation of Edinburgh city into a heaving, wonderful mass of festival-led celebrations. And nowhere is this cultural feeding frenzy more keenly felt than in the deepest heart of its historic city centre.

Now one of Edinburgh’s most exciting new districts, New Waverley stretches from the Royal Mile down to Waverley Station. At its heart is a new public square, Sibbald Walk that sits just off the Royal Mile behind the new Adagio Aparthotel. Along from Waverley station lie The Arches, a row of 19 renovated Victorian arches which now host an eclectic mix of shops, cafes, restaurants and curiosities.

This year, the new square hosted The Edinburgh Cocktail Festival, that brought together a myriad of pop-up cocktail bars, food stalls, live music and DJs. This followed hot on the heels of the Heverlee Festival at The Arches which celebrated all things Belgian – including food, beer and electronic music.

The Arches have also witnessed Freestival, the Fringe’s largest free festival as well as many one-off events, street markets and art projects. Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame unveiled a 10-metre illuminated art work in celebration of St Valentine’s Day, and just around the corner, on the Royal Mile, we unveiled the UK’s largest poem to celebrate National Poetry Day.

What makes New Waverley special, especially now, is that just two years ago it was virtually a no-go area, right in the heart of the city. The Arches were boarded up and used for industrial storage by the council. The roads and spaces now buzzing with The Arches and New Waverley’s three new hotels, or currently earmarked for new homes and offices, bore the remnants of the city’s old gas works and bus garage, which had remained for almost two decades as an ugly, unused development site.

The area during the Festival is brimming with visitors, the hotels are full and the cafes and restaurants are spilling out onto the pavements. In short, life in all its glory has returned to a part of the city which had been closed off for years. Boosting the buzz further, last month, the UK Government announced that almost 3,000 civil servants will form a new office hub at New Waverley, meaning that this influx of new life and vibrancy is here to stay.

This is all part of a long-term plan by Artisan Real Estate Investors, the investment partnership driving New Waverley, to create a genuine sense of place for its city centre regeneration projects, building exciting, sustainable and vibrant locations in which to live, work and visit.

Anyone now witnessing the sheer exuberance and excitement of The Arches and the whole of New Waverley in general, would realise that this sensitive development mix is exactly what our city centres need if they want to continue to be attractive destinations work, visit and live.

As the 70th Edinburgh International Festival has now finished, we felt it was a good opportunity to reflect on our own festival experience. New Waverley welcomed the city’s first cocktail festival all curated and hosted by Scottish creative agency The Drink Cabinet, in collaboration with the Food + Flea Market, from the producers of The Pitt in Leith.

The Edinburgh Cocktail Festival invited consumers to the brand public square here at New Waverley called Sibbald Walk, in the heart of the Old Town, just off the Royal Mile. The event featured a unique cocktail hub teeming with buzzing bars, experiential events, masterclasses, live music performances and evening events showcasing emerging DJs and artists. Ketel One Vodka’s Bloody Mary Kitchen and Tanqueray Gin’s Forest were just a couple of the many innovative experiential experiences consumers got to enjoy throughout the festival month.

Lauren Stewart and Andy Gemmell – founders and directors of The Drink Cabinet UK – share a wealth of industry experience. The agency specialises in drinks marketing and Lauren said: “Myself, Andy and the team were really excited to bring the first ever cocktail festival to Edinburgh. The Festival brings so many visitors from so many countries and cultures, and our aim was to get everyone together in one place to enjoy some Scottish hospitality and incredible drinks in an incredible new space.”

Hal Prescott and Scotty Kirkham, the brains behind The Pitt in Leith, and the Food + Flea Market; also located here at New Waverley, provided fresh street food to accompany the cocktails throughout the month. Scotty stated: “It’s brilliant being part of a group of independent businesses, keen to breathe life back into a once neglected, but now rejuvenated, part of town.”

Charlotte Swanson from New Waverley said “New Waverley is fast becoming a thriving and exciting new urban quarter and we are delighted to support young entrepreneurs such as Lauren and Hal, in their endeavors of creative consumer experiences and supporting emerging talents. We have already attracted some great national and local businesses here and it was truly exciting to have had the festival spirit right on our doorstep during the month of August.”

New Waverley has been shortlisted for both the prestigious Regeneration and Commercial best project categories of the 2017 Herald Property Awards for Scotland, which will be held in Glasgow in September.

The Herald Awards recognise the best Scottish development in property, land, construction and the environment. The event provides a high profile opportunity for property developers, surveyors, planners,engineers and architects to showcase their talent.

New Waverley is being delivered by Artisan Real Estate Investors and the award nomination recognises its current status as one of the UK’s most important city-centre regeneration sites, taking place in the historic and highly sensitive World Heritage Site of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Welcoming the award nomination, Clive Wilding, New Waverley’s Project Director said: “We are all delighted that New Waverley has made this prestigious shortlist. “For the last two years, we have worked hard to make New Waverley be an integral part of Edinburgh’s Old Town, breathing new life back to a formerly neglected part of the city centre. This award nomination shows that our efforts are now paying off and I am delighted that New Waverley’s considerable impact is being recognised on a national stage by our peers and public alike.”

In the last 12 months, New Waverley has become an established district within the city’s historic Old Town and has delivered a high profile ‘place-making’ campaign designed to create interest and excitement about the area. This has included launching the UK’s largest poem on the side of the new Adagio aparthotel building on the Royal Mile, as well as the area hosting food markets, light shows and art installations.

Completed so far as part of the first New Waverley development phase are two Whitbread hotels – a Premier Inn and a Hub by Premier Inn – which opened in January 2016, and The Arches, a row of 19 Victorian arches which have been transformed to create an exciting new leisure and retail district for the city.

In December last year the new 146-apartment Aparthotels Adagio overlooking Edinburgh’s Royal Mile opened for business overlooking a new football pitch-sized public square becoming the first significant public space to open in the city centre for more than 50 years.

In July, it was announced that some 2,900 civil servants will be located at New Waverley’s next phase office development as part of a new UK Government hub.

This August, in Edinburgh city centre, food and drink from local innovators and creators will appear in an exciting pop up festival set in the historic Arches, here at New Waverley. Inspired by Scots-born sculptor and ‘Father of Pop Art’, Eduardo Paolozzi, Edinburgh Beer Factory has put together a first-class line-up of the city’s freshest creative talent from the world of food, drink and art to create a pop-up food and drink venue at Waverley Arches this August 2017.

Kicking off week commencing 7th August and running through to the end of the Festival period on 28th, Edinburgh visitors and locals alike will be able to enjoy an authentic taste of the city in a unique, central location on East Market Street.

The four arches and courtyard on the junction of East Market Street and Cranston Street will host food offerings from Leith’s street food hotshots, the Pitt, artisanal spirits shaken up by the Cocktail Kitchen, wine from Stockbridge’s Smith & Gertrude, and even dapper haircuts from Rag & Bone Barber Shop – all washed down with fresh, unpasteurised Paolozzi lager.

Besides pouring plenty of Paolozzi lager and their new BUNK! range, The Edinburgh Beer Factory are paying homage to Eduardo’s many interests and influences and his philosophy of re-making and re-presenting neglected objects and spaces. Art collective place+platform will be displaying original artwork in one of the arches, while 1930s cinema and all things Pop will provide a playful backdrop to drinking and dining.

Kirsty Dunsmore, Marketing and Co-Founder at Edinburgh Beer Factory, says, “Where most people saw trash, Eduardo Paolozzi saw treasure. We share his belief in revealing beauty where it’s least expected, and hope to inject a bit of glamour and fun into these disused arches.

Paolozzi @ The Arches will be an authentic taste of some of the most exciting local food and drink producers, who are sadly often overlooked in the throng of the Fringe and the big corporate sponsorship that goes along with it. Come along for a genuine flavour of modern Edinburgh and explore these amazing old spaces.”
For further information please visit: http://edinburghbeerfactory.co.uk/arches/

About New Waverley: The award-winning New Waverley development is currently transforming Edinburgh’s Old Town, creating a vibrant mixed-use quarter linking Waverley Station to the Royal Mile, forming part of the Capital’s historic centre and the UNESCO World Heritage site.

At the heart of the regeneration scheme lie The Arches, a row of 19 Victorian arches which were originally constructed in 1875 to create double-height openings beneath the city’s Jeffrey Street. The Arches now provide something completely different for the city, accommodating some of the most exciting new independent operators to be found anywhere in the UK – whether it’s cutting edge retail and leisure venues, unique cafes and stand-out restaurants.

Artisan Real Estate Investors, the partnership behind Edinburgh’s award-winning New Waverley development, has welcomed the decision to create a new UK Government regional hub for the city in 2020. The UK Government has announced that it will take approximately 190,000 sq. ft. of Grade A office space at New Waverley, moving some 2,900 civil service jobs into the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. This will include HMRC, which will run one of their 13 regional centres from New Waverley.

The new Government office hub will continue the momentum of New Waverley’s current development phase due for completion later this year, which will see high quality office space blend with restaurants, cafes and shops around a new public square.

Artisan’s £200 million, 7.5 acre mixed-use scheme seamlessly links Waverley Station with the city’s iconic Royal Mile, forming part of the Old Town’s UNESCO World Heritage site. During the last two years, New Waverley has delivered 400 hotel rooms, including two Whitbread hotels – a Premier Inn and a Hub by Premier Inn – and an Adagio Aparthotel overlooking the Royal Mile.

As well as completing 45 affordable homes, New Waverley has also delivered a row of 19 Victorian arches which has been transformed into a new artisan-based leisure café and specialised retail district for the city. Currently under development is a boutique hotel by Apple Apartments, and a further 148 new homes are also planned.

Welcoming today’s announcement, Artisan’s projects director Clive Wilding said: “Bringing the UK Government hub right into the historic heart of the city is a ringing endorsement for what we are building here – not just for New Waverley, but for the city of Edinburgh and for Scotland. “For New Waverley, it’s another significant step of our journey to restore life, vitality and energy to this very special part of Edinburgh’s historic city centre, and will be a natural fit for the exciting and vibrant mixed-use community we have created there. It sends out an important message that our city centres have the interest, value and capacity to attract investment from the very best employers, which sets an important precedent for Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland.”

He added: “People coming to work here will enjoy an unmatched working, leisure and living environment. On their doorstep will be one of Scotland’s major transport hubs as well as an eclectic mix of shops, hotels, cafes, bars, restaurants and homes in a location that reflects both the best of the city’s heritage and its future.
“They will find that New Waverley is a genuinely unique destination in which to work, live and enjoy time out. This is a transformational development of a UNESCO Heritage site, in one of the world’s most iconic yet delicate locations. It’s pioneering the future, whilst preserving the past, representing a blueprint for sensitive yet positive city-centre regeneration.”

The New Waverley offices in which the Government hub will be based will be arranged across two linked buildings providing some 190,000 sq. ft. of space and offering the highest levels of sustainability and operational efficiency. Employees will benefit from modern, well-lit Grade A office space with added staff amenities including a landscaped roof area providing sweeping views across the Waverley Valley. Work on the office development is currently underway and is due to be completed in summer 2019.

Cllr Gavin Barrie, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Housing and Economy Convener, added: “Today’s announcement will provide a tremendous boost to the New Waverley development as well as Edinburgh’s wider economy. Up to 3,000 civil service jobs being moved to the heart of the city will not only add to the growing vibrancy of the New Waverley area but it will also add hundreds of thousands of pounds to the local economy each year.

“The development already has an attractive public square in place for colleagues and friends to meet. If you combine this huge increase in footfall with the thousands of staff already working in Council buildings and other offices nearby, the sense of place already being created by the development will be greatly enhanced. The many new and existing shops, cafes, restaurants and other attractions in the local area will reap the benefits of today’s announcement for many years to come.”
New Waverley has won a range of place-making awards in 2017 – including best regeneration project for both the Scottish Property Awards and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards.

New Waverley has won one of the Scottish property industry’s most prestigious accolades. The development scooped the blue-riband award for the best regeneration project at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) 2017 annual Scottish awards, held in Edinburgh on Wednesday (26 April).

New Waverley is being delivered by Artisan Real Estate Investors and the award win recognises its status as one of the UK’s most important city-centre regeneration projects, taking place in the historic and highly sensitive World Heritage Site of Edinburgh’s Old Town

Our New Waverley’s Project Director Clive Wilding said: “We are all thrilled that New Waverley has won this major accolade. We are especially pleased to be recognised by a widely-respected UK organisation that rewards excellence in design and architecture. For the last two years, we have worked hard to make New Waverley an integral part of Edinburgh’s Old Town, breathing new life back to a formerly neglected part of the city centre. This award shows that our efforts are now paying off and I am delighted that New Waverley’s considerable impact is being recognised on a national stage by our peers and public alike.”

The annual RICS Awards showcase event celebrates the most inspirational regional initiatives and development in property, construction, land and the environment. It provides a high-profile opportunity for surveyors, property developers, engineers, planners and architects to showcase their talent.

Architects for the New Waverley development are Edinburgh-based Allan Murray Architects. Allan Murray commented: “We are delighted to now see the fulfilment of the first phase of the masterplan for the area, which we initiated over a decade ago. This development has galvanised the revitalisation of a sadly neglected but very central part of the Old Town, within a World Heritage Site setting. The mixed-use project interweaves high quality new build with the refurbishment of historic buildings and creates a bold new urban public realm for the benefit of the local community”

In the last 12 months, New Waverley has become an established district within the city’s historic Old Town and has delivered a high profile ‘place-making’ campaign designed to create interest and excitement about the area. This has included launching the UK’s largest poem on the side of the new Adagio aparthotel building on the Royal Mile, as well as the area hosting food markets, light shows and art installations.

Design & Build Contractors McAleer & Rushe completed the majority of the first phase development, including the two Whitbread hotels and the Aparthotels Adagio. The company’s Contracts Director, Shane McCullagh added: “From the start, this has been an innovative and progressive partnership which has become a blueprint for complex construction projects in highly sensitive urban areas.”

Our buildings have brought a real sense of place to the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, including the Royal Mile and the development as a whole is now seamlessly integrated within a historic city centre environment.”

We are delighted to announce the New Waverley development, our £150 million regeneration scheme currently transforming the heart of Edinburghs Old Town, has won one of the Scottish property industry’s most prestigious accolades.

New Waverley collected the award for the best city regeneration project in Scotland at the Scottish Property Awards, held in Edinburgh on Thursday (March 2). Following a record high number of entries in the competition, 710 guests gathered for the annual event to celebrate the best of Scotland’s commercial property sector.

Delivered by Artisan Real Estate Investors, the award recognises its current status as one of the UK’s most important city-centre regeneration sites, taking place in the historic and highly sensitive World Heritage Site of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Judges commended New Waverley’s “brave and ambitious vision which is now becoming a reality….having a significant positive impact on the area around it.”

Welcoming the award, Clive Wilding, New Waverley’s Project Director said: “We are all absolutely thrilled to have been recognised by the Scottish Property Awards as Scotland’s best regeneration project, in what was a fiercely contested category.

“For the last two years, we have worked hard to make New Waverley be an integral part of Edinburgh’s Old Town, breathing new life back to a formerly neglected part of the city centre. I am delighted that New Waverley’s considerable impact is now being recognised on a national stage by our peers and public alike.”

Completed so far as part of the first New Waverley development phase are two Whitbread hotels – a Premier Inn and a Hub by Premier Inn – which opened in January 2016 and The Arches, a row of 19 Victorian arches which have been transformed to create an exciting new leisure and retail district for the city.

In December last year the new 146-apartment Aparthotels Adagio overlooking Edinburgh’s Royal Mile opened for business overlooking a new football pitch-sized public square becoming the first significant public space to open in the city centre for more than 50 years. In addition, the demand for authentic and healthy ‘food to go’ has also been met by the launch of The Food & Flea Market based at the new square. Featuring street food and shopping combined into a 7-day week market has transformed the local area.

Architects for the New Waverley development are Edinburgh-based Allan Murray Architects. Allan Murray added: “This development has galvanised the revitalisation of a sadly neglected but very central part of the Old Town, within a World Heritage Site setting.

“The mixed-use project interweaves high quality new build with the refurbishment of historic buildings and creates a bold new urban public realm for the benefit of the local community.”